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GOALKEEPER

Gianluigi Buffon

Let's start with Buffon. Wednesday night looks likely to be the Italian's 117th and final appearance in the Champions League, a rather ignominious end to a pursuit of the trophy that has spanned over two decades.

Buffon made his debut in the competition for Parma against Sparta Prague back on September 17, 1997, though has made the bulk of his appearances with Juventus, whom he joined in 2001.

He has appeared in three finals - the 2003 penalty shoot-out defeat by AC Milan at Old Trafford, the 3-1 defeat by Barcelona in Berlin in 2015 and the 4-1 loss to Real Madrid in Cardiff last season.

After further heartache at the hands of Real, it now appears certain the famous Champions League trophy will elude the legendary keeper.

Buffon walks past the trophy after his third final defeat - to Real Madrid in Cardiff last season

Lilian Thuram in action for Juventus in 2006

DEFENDERS

Lilian Thuram

Another man on the scene at Juve's shoot-out loss to Milan in the 2003 final was the French defender Lilian Thuram.

Although the versatile defender successfully kept Milan at bay for 120 minutes in what proved a chess-match final, misses from his colleagues David Trezeguet, Marcelo Zalayeta and Paolo Montero in the shoot-out left them disappointed.

Like Buffon, he was a part of the Parma team that won the UEFA Cup in 1999, but the top prize would elude him despite 69 outings in it with Monaco, Parma, Juventus and Barcelona.

Fabio Cannavaro

The Italian defender played for some of Europe's finest teams during a long and successful career - but the Champions League managed to elude him.

Indeed, Cannavaro never played in a Champions League final, despite spells at Parma, Inter Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid.

The closest he came was reaching the 2002-03 semi-finals with Inter, when they were defeated on 'away' goals by city rivals Milan following two incredibly cagey matches.

He too was part of that brilliant Parma side that won the 1999 UEFA Cup.

Fabio Cannavaro (left) was a legendary defender but the Champions League eluded him

Lothar Matthaus

One of the finest players to emerge from Germany, Matthaus was a box-to-box midfielder in his pomp before converting to a sweeper later in his career.

It was playing this role that Matthaus came within seconds of winning the Champions League with Bayern Munich in 1999.

Subbed off in the 80th minute of that final at the Nou Camp, perhaps his defensive presence would have thwarted Manchester United's stoppage-time goals by Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Matthaus removed his runners-up medal within seconds of receiving it, probably because he'd suffered similar heartbreak in the 1987 European Cup final, when Porto scored twice late on to deny Bayern.

Bayern were regulars in the knockout stages during his time with the club, but never quite made it and Matthaus had retired by the time of their 2001 triumph.

Lothar Matthaus waves goodbye to the Champions League in 2000 having never won it

Giorgio Chiellini

The clock is ticking for another Juventus player, 33-year-old Giorgio Chiellini, to add the Champions League success that is absent from an otherwise glittering CV.

The Italian defender missed the 2015 final with Barcelona through injury but was powerless to prevent Real Madrid's 4-1 win in last season's final.

Wednesday evening is the third time Chiellini has exited the competition at the quarter-final stage though he will hopefully get another few cracks at it.

Chiellini bows out of another Champions League campaign with regrets on Wednesday night

MIDFIELD

Patrick Vieira

The commanding French midfielder played 76 times in the competition for Arsenal, Juventus and Inter Milan but was another nearly-man.

An integral part of Arsenal's 'Invincibles' side that dominated domestically, he left Highbury to join Juventus a year before the Gunners reached the 2006 Champions League final.

Who knows, maybe Arsenal would have held on and defeated Barcelona in that Paris final had Vieira still been running their midfield.

Ironically, his Juventus team were knocked out by Arsenal in the quarter-finals and that was about as far as he got in the Champions League, a contrast to his successes with France internationally.

He also left Inter Milan for Manchester City mid-way through their successful run in 2009-10 and wasn't eligible for a medal.

Patrick Vieira proved a nearly-man in the Champions League as the trophy eluded him

Michael Ballack

93 outings in the Champions League and two finals for Ballack, but unfortunately no winner's medal to show for his efforts.

The German midfield dynamo was a key part of the Bayer Leverkusen side that reached the 2002 final, losing 2-1 to Real Madrid and Zinedine Zidane's spectacular volleyed winner.

He had been exceptional throughout that run, as unfancied Leverkusen overcame Liverpool in the quarters and Manchester United in the semis.

And there was further disappointment as a Chelsea player six years later, when John Terry and Nicolas Anelka missed the crucial penalties in a loss to United in Moscow (Ballack did convert his).

Michael Ballack had to made do with the silver medal for the second time in the 2008 final

Pavel Nedved

Perhaps Juventus would have won the 2003 final if midfield genius Pavel Nedved hadn't been suspended after collecting a late booking in the semi-final with Real Madrid.

That was the closest the Czech came to Champions League success, despite 79 appearances in the competition for Sparta Prague, Lazio and Juventus.

He reached the quarter-finals of the tournament once with Lazio and twice with Juventus aside from 2003, but he couldn't add to his 1999 European Cup Winners' Cup success with Lazio on the continental stage.